


Right in Front of Me

by Kangofu_CB



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fake Marriage, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Sex, Tropes, a bunch of emotional shit, for once, happy endings, not angsty though, some commentary on figuring out orientation, somewhere in all this emotional bullshit there's sex in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-20 15:30:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11923836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kangofu_CB/pseuds/Kangofu_CB
Summary: College AU with Fake Marriage trope written for End of Summer Tropefest.Wufei has been disowned by his conservative family, and he can't get financial aid.  Solution: get married.  Candidate: Duo Maxwell.





	Right in Front of Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoodIdeaAtTheTime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodIdeaAtTheTime/gifts).



> For ChronicWhimsy, who never stops being an amazing beta and friend.

Duo was sitting in the restaurant with Wufei, picking his way through a salad - they’d forgotten to leave the onions off _again_ \- when he finally got frustrated with the other man’s sullen silence.

 

“Alright, what’s wrong?  You’re the one who wanted to meet for lunch, and now you’re sitting there in a funk not speaking to me.”

 

Wufei looked briefly startled, then contrite. “I’m sorry.  I’m distracted.”

 

“I can see that,” Duo answered, stabbing a tomato with his fork, “but I asked what was wrong, not for an apology.  What happened?  You look like your dog died or something.”

 

“You know I don’t have a dog.”

 

Duo just stared at him, waiting.  He had years of experience dealing with the emotionally constipated man and he knew, if Wufei was feeling guilty, he’d come clean eventually.  Duo just needed to apply the proper pressure.  

 

Sure enough, after a few minutes of pointed silence, the Chinese man sighed.  “I’ve just left my meeting with the financial aid office and she said there’s nothing they can do for me.”

 

Ah. That explained it.  Until recently, Wufei’s family had been paying for his undergraduate degree, his only financial responsibility being to pay for his living expenses in the apartment he shared with Duo, which he managed well enough on his part time work at the museum.  Now, his tuition was all paid up until the end of the semester, but since he still had a bit more than a year left to go on the degree, when January rolled around he was going to have a problem.  An expensive one.

 

“Nothing?  Really?  And you explained the situation to them?”

 

Wufei snorted.  “Yes, in the end I was rather bluntly clear about the circumstances, but the woman just kept saying she was sorry and referred me to the school counselor.”  It was delivered dryly, Wufei clearly finding the suggestion idiotic and annoying.

 

Duo, on the other hand, was livid, offended on his friend's behalf.  “She referred you to the counselor? For what?!  Being gay doesn’t require _therapy_!”

 

Wufei raised his eyebrow, glancing around pointedly.  Luckily the diner was nearly empty, but Duo _had_ been fairly shouting his personal business.  

 

“Sorry,” he muttered, “it just pisses me off.”

 

Wufei had been gay for, well, as long as he’d known the difference between boys and girls, and Duo had been what he blithely referred to as ‘questioning’ since high school, when he had broken his tradition of casual relationships with a handful of girls and dated a tall senior on the swim team named Trowa, who’d broken up with him when he left for Stanford on a scholarship.

 

Duo had been quietly devastated and Wufei had been appropriately comforting and sympathetic in his usual gruff manner, and the next year they'd applied to all the same colleges, not one of which was Stanford.

 

“Well, ostensibly she referred me for the emotional trauma of having been disowned by my parents, but yes, it was rather uncalled for.”

 

And that was the crux of the problem.  Wufei had gone home for summer break, as usual, to the tight knit and extremely traditional extended Chinese family he’d been being groomed to lead for basically his entire life, and been informed he’d be getting married.

 

To a woman.

 

He'd come back to New York two weeks early with nothing but a duffle bag and what Duo suspected was a very bruised heart under his gruff exterior.

 

“I don't understand,” Duo finally said. “You can't take out a loan or anything?”

 

Not that he was sure _that_ was a good idea either. Colombia was exclusive and expensive and Duo was only there through a combination of scholarships and financial aid, because he didn't _have_ any parents, and he held down a full time job to boot.  He also carried a full engineering course load, but he'd always been gifted at math, and he hadn't found it all that challenging so far, and had even picked up some extra cash tutoring on the side.

 

But Wufei was pre-law and that was a totally different animal. Working full time was completely out of the question for him. He barely managed his part time job at the museum, and only that because he could sometimes use his work hours to study.

 

Suddenly, it occurred to Duo that Wufei would still have to pay for law school after graduation. Jeeze. He was starting to understand Wufei’s frantic research these last few weeks. It was mid-October already and they hadn't come up with any solution. Meeting with the financial aid counselor had been a last resort.

 

“No,” Wufei groaned, scrubbing his hands across his face, “because loans are awarded differently and still take your parents’ income into account.”

 

“So she didn't offer you any kind of solution?”

 

The other man snorted. “I can turn 23, have a baby, or get married.  Those are my options. All of them make me what they consider an ‘independent’ student to be judged on my own financial merit.”

 

Duo eyed him speculatively. Two out of the three were clearly impossible but-

 

“So get married,” he finally said, turning back to his salad.

 

“Duo. I've already told you - and my parents - that I'm not marrying Meilan, and I refuse to go groveling back to them-”

 

“No, no, no.” Duo shook his head, lifting his water to take a sip, “that's not what I'm saying. I meant just get married in general. A marriage of convenience so you can get financial aid.”

 

Wufei rolled his eyes. “Ignoring the obvious moral and legal quandaries, just who would you suggest for this ridiculous arrangement? Shall I just ask a random stranger or maybe someone from my political science class would be a better choice?”

 

It was Duo’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Lighten up on the sarcasm, man, I'm trying to help here.”

 

Wufei groaned in frustration. “I know, I know, I'm just…” he trailed off.

 

“Frustrated, I know. I get it. But hear me out.”  Duo's mind was going a mile a minute. Wufei was clever, more clever than Duo in a lot of ways, but he often lacked what most people called ‘street smarts’ and Duo, having grown up an orphan in and out of various foster homes, had it in spades.  He also had the type of moral ambiguity that enjoyed taking advantages of loopholes in the system, whereas Wufei tended towards the straight and narrow.  

 

“There are no moral or legal quandaries, dude.  People get married for tax benefits or legal purposes all the time.  Your family was _arranging_ your marriage to what's-her-face, what do you call that?  As long as you’re not lying about your intentions, I don’t see how it’s a moral issue, either.”

 

Wufei opened his mouth to respond, before he closed it with a snap, a considering look on his face, and that’s when Duo knew he had him.  Wufei earnestly, desperately wanted to finish school, wanted to make something of himself, had been driven to do so before any of this drama with his family, and Duo suspected he was now twice as driven just to prove to them that he didn’t need their help to do it.

 

“That doesn’t solve the problem of what poor individual I’ll have to convince to marry me, and stay married for the next two-ish years until I graduate.”

 

Duo shrugged.  “Just marry me.”

 

Wufei’s spluttering response was all he could have dreamed, and he wished he’d had the foresight to record it for posterity.  

 

Finally he blurted, “But you’re not _gay_!”  Though he had the grace to look immediately embarrassed, flushing all the way to his hairline.

 

Unable to help himself, Duo burst out laughing.  “Well, I’m not straight, either, but also, I don’t think they require proof of consummation these days, and it’s probably some kind of grounds for annulment or divorce.”

 

Wufei looked skeptical, and he was starting to get the stubborn cast to his jaw that told Duo he needed to head this argument off now, or be prepared for it to drag on for all eternity.  “Look,” he said, seriously, “we already live together.  We already go to the same school.  We already share bills and living space and all that crucial marriage shit, all we’d be adding is some legal hoopla that will help you get a better FAFSA application.  And in a couple of years we can just get a divorce, it can’t be that hard.  Hell, if we wait until you go to law school, we won’t even have to pay any legal fees!”

 

Watching Wufei turn it over in his mind, he could see he was going to agree.  Wufei was desperate and Duo was dropping an easy solution into his lap, he’d be stupid not to take it.

 

“What about dating?  Don’t you want to go out and meet people?”  Wufei was chewing on his lip, eyes unfocused as he was clearly thinking the idea all the way through, considering the long-term ramifications.

 

Duo gave a self-deprecating shrug.  “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I haven’t really been interested in it since… you know, the thing with Tro.  I’m not really lookin’ for that sort of thing right now, I kinda just want to get through school and get a job and stuff.”  He bent to pick at his already shredded salad, poking at the crunchy parts of the lettuce he didn’t like, looking for anything edible.

 

Wufei gave him a sympathetic look, but Duo waved him off.  “Anyway, yeah, I can lay off the dating scene for a couple of years, no big deal.  I’m not really interested in any drunken hookups and that seems to be mainly what happens in college.”

 

He froze as he had a sudden thought.  “I mean, if you wanna date or whatever, that’s, I mean that’d be fine, I wasn’t trying to imply anything…”

 

Rolling his eyes, Wufei laughed.  “Oh yes, because I’m such a hot commodity, and also have so much free time between my class load, work, and my work-study.  No, this will actually be the perfect deterrent for that girl at the library that won’t leave me alone.”

 

It was Duo’s turn to laugh.  He’d forgotten Wufei’s personal stalker. “Alright then, I guess, we’ll figure out the details and… go get married?”  At Wufei’s hesitant nod, Duo lifted his water glass to Wufei’s, tapping them together lightly.  “Cheers!  Here’s to an excellent fake-real marriage.”

 

*

 

It was remarkably easy to get married, as it turned out.  

 

The hardest part had been coordinating their schedules so that they could both be available to apply for the marriage license at the Manhattan Borough Clerk’s office, because it was only open from 8:45 to 3:45, when both of them had classes, and in the end Duo’d had to skip Engineering Math, which was no hardship, and Wufei had needed to leave his poli sci class early, which he was mildly disgruntled about, in order to meet at the office.  Then, they’d waited nearly an hour, presented their IDs, paid the $35 fee, and been told they had to wait 24 hours to get married.  It had taken 10 minutes.

 

They’d gone back two days later, when luckily both of them had been free from lunch onwards, Duo’s friend Hilde in tow to act as a witness, and gotten married.  It had cost an additional $25 and taken only slightly longer because they’d had to wait in a queue - evidently getting married at the clerk’s office was first-come first-served.  Hilde had insisted on taking them out for a celebratory drink afterwards, because they’d agreed not to tell anyone about their arrangement and she was therefore under the impression they were madly in love.

 

They hadn’t even changed their names, because apparently you didn’t have to.

 

Wufei had taken the marriage certificate immediately to the financial aid office when it arrived, and come back grinning triumphantly, brandishing his approval letter at Duo.

 

“I don’t even have to change my job, everything is going to work out perfectly. They advised me to have you come down and re-do your application for the spring as well, because she thinks you may be eligible for a larger grant.”

 

Duo had grinned in response to his enthusiasm, grateful to have helped, and gone to the financial aid office, where it turned out he was eligible for slightly more grant money, so they were both benefitting, which eased Wufei’s conscience.

 

Life had continued on, unchanged, until nearly Thanksgiving.

 

Wufei stomped into the apartment, grumbling under his breath, nearly two hours earlier than Duo was expecting him.  He looked up from the fluid dynamics assignment he’d been struggling with for the last two hours, spread out on the dining table, to see Wufei’s face looking like a thundercloud. He pulled his earbuds out, pausing the lecture he was listening to for the third time, but he still couldn’t make out the words Wufei was muttering.

 

“Hey man, you’re back early.  What’s wrong?”

 

Dropping his stack of books and papers on the coffee table, Wufei practically growled in response.  “That infernal woman at the library will not leave me alone.  Last week she hinted at dinner.  The week before that she _brought me lunch_!  Today when I turned her down for coffee, she accused me of lying to her about being married because I’m not wearing a ring!”

 

Duo bit his lip to keep from laughing.  “Why don’t you just study here?  I can be quiet, you know, I won’t disturb you.”

 

Wufei sighed.  “I’ve considered it.  I wish I could.  Unfortunately, many of the books I use for reference are in the library, and they are prohibitively expensive to purchase.”

 

Duo made a noncommittal noise as Wufei spread his books out on the coffee table, snagging a cushion to sit on, and was soon absorbed back in his work, apparently content now that he’d vented his frustration.

 

Tucking one of the earbuds back in his ear, leaving the other out in case Wufei spoke to him, Duo went back to work on his own assignment, the problem of Wufei’s wannabe girlfriend on the back burner.  But only for now.  Duo was sure he could come up with a solution.

 

A few days later, he pushed open the doors to the law library, scanning for a familiar dark head.  Spotting his prey, he hefted the bag on his shoulder up a little higher and began navigating his way to the far corner of the room.  It figured that Wufei would pick the most secluded, out of the way table he could get.

 

Not that it seemed to be stopping the overly friendly redhead sitting next to him, just close enough to be invading his personal space, and occasionally reaching over him for a pen or a post it note, ‘accidentally’ brushing his arm or chest every time.  Duo narrowed his eyes, considering how he wanted to handle the situation.  If he thought Wufei was enjoying the attention he’d leave well enough alone, but he’d come home twice more complaining about the girl, and the pinched up look around his eyes now was enough to tell Duo he was uncomfortable.

 

He reached the table just in time to overhear Wufei explain, in a voice tinged with exasperation, that _no_ he wasn’t available for dinner tonight, or in fact any other night, thank you very much.  Rolling his eyes, Duo made a decision, and hoped he didn’t end up with a broken wrist for his trouble.  Strolling casually up to the table, he stopped behind Wufei’s chair and leaned over, resting his chin on the broad shoulder so conveniently available to him and sliding his right hand around Wufei’s chest, under his arm.  

 

“Hello, lover!” Duo said, cheerfully, feeling Wufei jump underneath him, planting a quick kiss to the side of his neck and squeezing him briefly before stepping back.  

 

Wufei whirled around, the fury on his face fading to confused surprise as he recognized his assailant.  “Duo?  What are you doing here?”

 

Duo had chosen his approach carefully.  A consummate actor Wufei was not, and Duo had an extreme aversion to lying on principle, so he had to tread very carefully here.  He smiled, holding up the insulated bag he’d brought with him.  “Well, you were up so late last night-” and here he let his voice drop a little, the implication clear- “I thought I’d bring you a pick-me-up, and maybe some lunch.”  

 

All of it was strictly true.  Wufei _had_ been up late.  Duo had gone to bed at midnight and Wufei had still been sitting at the table working on some obscenely long paper for his psychology class.  

 

It was amazing what a little bit of innuendo could do.

 

Reaching into the bag he pretended not to notice the flabbergasted look on Wufei’s face, because if he paid too much attention to it he’d start laughing and ruin the whole thing.  The redhead was looking speculatively between the two of them and Duo was waiting for the perfect opportunity to spring the second part of his plan.  Pulling out a travel mug he deposited it triumphantly in front of Wufei.

 

“Green tea!  With a little bit of honey, just the way you like.”  

 

Wufei smiled up at him, gratefully.  “I could use the caffeine, but you didn’t have to bring this, I could have gone to the coffee shop or…” he trailed off, wincing slightly, shooting a guilty look at the girl next to him.

 

Duo shrugged, looking artfully sheepish.  “Well, I had an ulterior motive, to be honest.”  He dug into his right front pocket, pulling out a small black bag.  This was the tricky part.  He dropped it, carefully, on top of the book Wufei had open in front of him.  “I got you something.  The shop called this morning to tell me it was ready.”

 

Wufei upended the bag over his palm, a gold band tumbling out.  He looked up at Duo, wide-eyed.  “What- I thought- we didn’t-”

 

Pulling his left hand out of his pocket, Duo held it up so Wufei could see the matching band on his finger.  “Surprise.  I know we were gonna save the money, but I did a little extra tutoring and they aren’t anything fancy, but… anyway, I thought it’d be nice.”  The nervousness and blush were all real, there was nothing fake about them.  Duo hadn’t expected to feel so discomfited when he’d come up with the idea.

 

Dark eyes stared up at him for a moment, bewildered and assessing, before Wufei bent his head down to slide the ring on his finger.  Duo blew out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relief pouring through him until he was weak-kneed.

 

It was at that moment that the girl, whom Duo had almost completely forgotten about despite her being the impetus for the entire encounter, suddenly spoke up. “Wait, Wufei, is this your _husband_?”

 

Ah.  Evidently Wufei had failed to mention that crucial fact, judging by the tone of her voice.  Duo snorted.

 

Sticking his hand out, he gamely introduced himself, smiling just a bit too widely to be truly friendly.  “I’m sorry, that was rude of me.  I’m Duo.  It’s nice to meet you.”

 

She tentatively took his hand, looking between the two of them in utter confusion.  “Roxanne.  It’s nice to meet you too.”  She let go of his hand quickly though, and Duo lifted his wrist to check the time.

 

“I have to run, my next class is in twenty minutes, but there’s lunch in the bag babe.  I’ll see you later, yeah?”  He grinned at Wufei, overall feeling rather proud of himself, especially as he could see that Roxanne was subtly shifting her things a little ways away from Wufei’s.  

 

Mission accomplished.

 

Wufei smiled up at him, still looking bemused, but he didn’t seem like he was going to put up a fuss. Duo had been a bit worried about that.  He turned to leave, stopping when he felt a hand reach for his, fingers glancing across the band on his finger.  He turned back to find Wufei eyeing him consideringly.  Duo sucked in a breath, throat suddenly dry, intensely aware of the warm, dry grip on his hand.

 

“Thank you,” Wufei said sincerely, squeezing his fingers.

 

Duo cleared his throat. “You’re welcome,” he croaked.

 

The other man stood up, tugging on their shared grip, pulling Duo towards him, and Duo felt his eyes widen as he came to a stop barely inches apart.  Wufei leaned in, mysterious smile on his face, and brushed his lips, just barely, across the corner of Duo’s mouth, the touch barely registering, more the impression of warmth than anything.  Releasing their hands, Wufei took a step back.  “I’ll see you at home, later.”

 

Duo swallowed hard, nodded, and fled.

 

*

 

Despite Duo’s nervousness, nothing much changed between them after The Library Incident, as he’d taken to calling it in his head, except that occasionally he caught Wufei watching him, a strange look on his face.

 

Duo couldn’t even call him on it, because he’d caught himself watching the other man too, his thoughts drifting into dangerous territory.

 

It didn't help that they’d gotten gradually more used to being in each other’s personal space, partly because they tried to put on a believable show in public, and that translated to their private behavior, but also because they’d truly got more comfortable with one another. Often the evenings found them on opposite ends of the couch, textbooks spread around, with Duo’s feet tucked up against Wufei’s thigh, or the two of them at ease touching and brushing up against each other in the kitchen while cooking or doing dishes.  Plus, Wufei was around a lot more now that he wasn’t going home to visit family, and he seemed a lot more relaxed without all that expectation.

 

It wasn’t something Duo dwelled on, because the implications were a bit more than he was prepared to delve into at the moment.

 

Mostly, though, he was swamped, studying for finals and finishing up projects and calming the panicked freshmen he tutored.  

 

Finally, blessedly, it was Christmas break and he and Wufei found time to breathe, rest and relax, and just generally hang around and do nothing for a few weeks.  The holiday was a welcome relief from classes, though neither of them celebrated.  Duo had grown up outrageously poor, and he’d never seen the ‘magic’ of the holiday.  It had always left him bitter and cynical about the excess spending and lack of charity, despite that being ostensibly the point, while Wufei wasn't religious at all.

 

All in all, they basically sat around the apartment reading, watching movies, and avoiding humanity.

 

Just before New Year’s, Quatre invited them to his annual New Year’s Eve party and Duo stupidly, unthinkingly agreed, immersed in a book when he got the text, shooting off a ‘yeah sounds great’ before he had taken half a second to consider the offer.

 

By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late, Quatre excitedly texting him about the guest list and the party theme and his excitement over seeing him and Wufei.

 

Groaning, he got off the couch and trudged off to Wufei’s room to tell him what he’d done.  To his surprise, the other man had easily agreed to the trip, though Duo had offered to make excuses for him.  Wufei had just shaken his head and said he’d hate to disappoint Quatre, and gone back to his book.

 

Which was a fair point.  The cheerful blonde had been friends with Duo and Wufei almost as long as they’d been friends with each other, his family moving to their small town just before junior high.  

 

Duo and Wufei had become fast friends in third grade, when Duo had been shuffled to the latest in a series of foster families, this time in upstate New York, far from the inner city he'd spent his earliest years, and he’d got immediately into a fight on the playground when some kid made fun of his hair.  It was the same fight he'd had a dozen times in a dozen other schools, but for the first time another kid has stood beside him, his own hair pulled back into a short tail, and when it was all done they'd both had bruised cheeks and bloody noses and matching grins.

 

Wufei had been exactly the calming influence Duo needed, and Duo had been just endearing enough to talk them out of most of the trouble he led them into, and they'd been practically inseparable all through grade school.

 

Quatre had joined them later, near the end of fifth grade, and Duo still wasn't quite sure what it was about the two of them Quatre liked so much, but he'd decided immediately to make friends of them and what Quatre decided to do, he always accomplished.

 

The three of them weren't popular, per se, but they were known, and generally liked, and overall people didn't give them much trouble. Quatre used his financial and social clout to keep them mostly in the administrators’ good graces, Wufei had graduated valedictorian, and Duo, well, Duo had mostly made sure they all had fun.

 

None of which explained why he and Wufei were making the four hour trek from NYC to Rome for a party neither of them seemed particularly excited about. All Duo could figure was that it was impossible to disappoint Quatre, or tell him no. It was a weakness the blonde exploited mercilessly.

 

Half an hour outside of town, Duo had glanced at Wufei’s hand on the wheel, the gold band glinting in the light, and looked at the other man questioningly.  Wufei glanced back at him, shrugging slightly, and Duo sighed. Apparently it was up to him.  Duo fiddled with his own ring, considering. Wufei wasn't “out” here, and Duo’s own reputation was ambiguous at best. While they were clear about being married at school, because Wufei didn't want to encounter any possible legal repercussions later, they hadn't bothered to tell anyone at home, which hadn't seemed to matter before now.

 

Quatre knew, of course, but he could be trusted to keep his mouth shut. He was also the only other person who knew the details of the arrangement.

 

With another sigh, he slid the ring off and, reaching up to unfasten the gold chain and cross he never took off, sliding the ring onto the chain, and hooked it back on, the cross and ring nestled side by side, hidden under his shirt.

 

Already his finger felt weirdly naked, and he rubbed absently at the spot it usually rested on.

 

Wufei was watching him out of the corner of his eye, and when Duo was done fiddling with his jewelry, he simply slid his matching ring off and moved it to his right hand.

 

“Dammit, why didn't I think of that?” Duo muttered.

 

The other man chuckled. “If we both did it, it would give exactly the impression we're trying to avoid.”

 

Duo gave a half shrug. “True,” he conceded.

 

They were greeted enthusiastically by Quatre when they knocked on the door, duffles in hand, and he led them upstairs to a newly appointed guest room, now that his older sister had gotten married and moved out permanently.  Duo was relieved to see it had two daybeds, rather than one they'd have to share or negotiate for who slept on the floor, and he tossed his bag onto the foot of the bed closest to the door.

 

When he turned around Quatre was watching him cryptically, and Duo winced.

 

Right. This was why he'd been dreading the trip. Quatre was entirely too perceptive, and prone to meddling if he felt it was for your own good.

 

In an effort to provide a distraction, Duo clapped his hands loudly, rubbing them together in excitement. “Alright Q, where's the party at?”

 

Laughing, the blonde man led them out of the room. “Not for a few more hours, I’m afraid, but there's dinner downstairs and I could use some help setting up.”

 

After they'd been appropriately fed and watered, and wrestled two different kegs into ice buckets, Duo complaining that there couldn't be enough people in the entire town to necessitate two kegs _and_ a selection of liquor, Quatre had shooed them back upstairs to shower and change.

 

Coming back down in jeans and a sweater, he was pulled into the same old circles, girls from high school, guys from the football team, most of whom hadn't gone anywhere since graduation and he was suddenly, entirely fed up with the whole thing. It was shallow and meaningless, and he'd already been propositioned twice and just was not interested in any of it, so he retreated out to the three season porch.

 

It was freezing, which meant deserted, because the three seasons didn't include winter, and Duo was leaned against the railing, staring out over the snow blanketed yard into the darkness beyond. He knew he was in a funk and he also knew he only had a half hour at best before someone, likely Quatre, came looking for him, so he'd best make good use of the time to get his head screwed on straight.  Glancing down at the cup in his hand, he figured finishing off his beer was probably as good a start as any.  He tilted it back, draining the cup dry and setting it off to the side, went back to his brooding.

 

He was absently fiddling with the ring on the chain around his neck when he heard the door behind him open and shut.  

 

“Sorry Q,” he called, “I’ll be inside in a minute.  Just needed a breather.”  Hopefully the blonde hadn’t noticed exactly how long he’d been gone.

 

“Duo?”  The voice was familiar, Duo’s gut clenching and his shoulders stiffening, but surely, _surely_ Quatre would have told him if he’d invited-

 

Turning his head he caught sight of a familiar profile, shaggy bangs obscuring half his face, and Duo’s breath caught in his throat.  He tucked the chain away, hands trembling, and took a deep breath.  He hadn’t thought of Trowa in months, honestly, and here he was at this god-forsaken party and he was going to _kill_ Quatre.

 

“Hey,” he answered, striving for casual and wishing he still had a drink.

 

The other man took a couple more steps forward, leaning against the same rail as Duo, an arm’s length away.  “Been a while,” Trowa observed, “how are you?”

 

“Fine.  Good.  How are you?”  Duo cringed.  This was the most god-awful awkward shit of his entire life, bar none.

 

The taller man took a deep breath, and Duo knew, he just _knew_ and sure enough-

 

“Look, I’m sorry about what happened between us.”

 

And god knew this was the absolute last place and time that Duo ever wanted to have this conversation, however much he might have wanted to have it four years previous when Trowa had announced his scholarship and their breakup in the same breath.

 

It wasn’t even that Duo was hung up on the guy, just that he’d completely turned his whole world, his whole self image, upside down, and then he’d _left_ with barely an explanation and Duo’d been trying to figure his shit out ever since.  He sighed.

 

“Nothin’ to apologize for, man, you got a good deal at a good school, I understand.”

 

It was Trowa’s turn to sigh, though he sounded more frustrated than anything.  “Yes, but I could have handled it better, and-”

 

The back door opened again, and Wufei’s voice called out into the night “Duo? Are you out here?”

 

Sagging in relief, Duo turned towards the door, sent the other man - his brain supplying him with the reminder that Wufei was _his husband_ and there was a moment of _something_ in his chest- a pleading look.  “Yeah, hey, sorry.”  

 

And Wufei, bless his soul, took in the scene outside, Trowa’s visible frustration, Duo’s considerable relief, probably drawing all the wrong conclusions, but Duo didn’t even care as long as he rescued him from this disaster in the making.  Wufei nodded to Trowa.  “Barton.”  His voice was clipped, formal, but not outright rude, as he glided across the porch towards Duo, eyes searching his face, and reached for his hand.

 

Duo didn’t even hesitate, twining their fingers together, allowing Wufei to pull him back to the house.  “Quatre’s looking for you, something about a dart game.”

 

Duo laughed.  And here he’d thought Wufei couldn’t act.  If Quatre really wanted to play darts he’d eat his shoe, the blonde was abysmally bad, but he followed him nonetheless.  

 

“Thanks babe.”  He shot Trowa a small salute.  “See ya around, Tro.”

 

He followed Wufei inside, belatedly realizing their cover was basically blown.  He bumped Wufei’s shoulder, giving him an apologetic look. Wufei’s brow furrowed in confusion and Duo lifted their still-joined hands.  He shrugged, unconcerned, but loosened his fingers slightly, giving Duo the opportunity to break the grip if he wanted.

 

Duo grinned crookedly.  “It’s too late now, anyway, Tro’s a huge gossip.  The whole party’ll know in half an hour.”  He squeezed Wufei’s fingers reassuringly.

 

Wufei pulled him off to the side in the hallway, before they got back to the main part of the house and the party, looking carefully at him. “Are you alright?” He was so serious and concerned that Duo felt his heart thump in response.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just surprised me, that's all.”

 

“He didn't…” Wufei trailed off, obviously unsure how to finish the thought, but Duo’s laughter in response seemed to reassure him.

 

“Nah, he was tryin’ to apologize or something. I'll tell you about it later. But I'm fine.  Just broody, but that started before Tro showed up. Speaking of which, did you know he was going to be here?”

 

Wufei shook his head. “No. And Quatre was just as surprised as anyone when he arrived. Apparently he was in town for the holiday and heard about the party through the grapevine, you know how it is.”

 

Duo nodded. At least he wouldn't have to murder Quatre after all.

 

Just then, a couple stumbled down the hall, one of them bumping into Duo, shoving him forward and he fell into Wufei, crushing him against the wall. There was a muttered sorry from the offender, but Duo was distracted by the fact that he was pressed from shoulders to hips against Wufei, faces bare millimeters apart and he could smell his soap and he was hot and firm against him and-

 

A throat cleared behind him and he turned to see Quatre's smug, amused face.

 

_Well, fuck._

 

“This isn’t what it looks like.” Duo grumbled, moving to brace himself against the wall so he could leverage his body off of Wufei.  As he planted his hands on either side of Wufei’s head, he glanced down to find the other man staring up at him, eyes dark, lids heavy.  A tongue darted out to lick his lips, and Duo inhaled sharply.  The warmth against his back that Duo belated realized was Wufei’s hand, probably where he’d moved to steady him when he fell, spasmed.

 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Quatre murmured, just loud enough to be heard, “I think if I’d waited five more minutes, it would be.”

 

He sounded so goddamn pleased with himself that Duo wanted to shake him.  Although privately, he was pretty sure Quatre was right.  His eyes darted back to Wufei’s lips.

 

Absolutely sure Quatre was right.

 

Dammit.

 

He hated when the little jerk was right.

 

Pushing himself off of the wall - and Wufei - he stood up, straightening his sweater, and held a hand out to Wufei to help him untangle himself from whatever they’d tripped over in the floor.  Once he was righted, Duo squeezed his fingers again before letting go of his hand and turning to Quatre.

 

“Alright, you can stop stirring the shit pot.  I heard something about darts, but that can’t be right, because you suck at darts.”

 

Quatre grinned angelically, and Duo was immediately wary.  Duo had gotten the three of them into plenty of trouble, but he was always up front that it was probably going to end up that way.  Quatre had a way of making things look perfectly innocent, and the next thing you knew the town sheriff was dropping you off at home after some outrageous stunt, lecturing you about how lucky you were not to be headed for the county lockup.

 

“Well,” he began, “One of my classmates is here, Zechs, and he’s brought a friend and they’re destroying the competition, so I might have implied he hadn’t had any real challengers.”

 

Duo groaned.  “Which he took as a challenge, and you couldn’t say no.”

 

Quatre had a surprisingly wide competitive streak.  Which normally wasn’t too much of a problem, because he excelled at most anything he tried.

 

Except darts.

 

The blonde business major was absolutely abysmal at darts.

 

Duo, on the other hand, was exceptional at darts.  If he could have found a way to run some sort of darts racket and make a living off of the skill he wouldn’t have even bothered with college.

 

“Is he any good?”  Duo questioned, but he already knew he was going to do it.  “Because, no offense, but you’re kind of a big handicap.”

 

“Well he’s not terrible, and his partner is alright as well.”

 

Which meant that they were good, and also that Quatre probably had something riding on the outcome.  

 

Wufei nudged him from behind, and Duo turned to look, met a challenging smirk.  “What’s wrong Maxwell, don’t think you can do it?”  Duo knew when he was being goaded, but, like Quatre, he couldn’t resist.  

 

Walking into the game room, he took in the scene for a moment, unnoticed by his opponents.  One was a tall, slim blonde, hair almost as long as Duo’s, but worn loose, looking confident and unimpressed, standing next to a shorter, messy-haired brunette, who took ‘intense’ to a whole new level.  They both seemed bored, watching a couple of guys Duo recognized vaguely from his school days fumble at the dartboard.

 

The brunette noticed Quatre’s entrance, flanked by Duo and Wufei, and nudged the blonde, nodding in their direction.  Wufei drifted off to lean against the wall where he could watch the game unimpeded, arms crossed over his chest, a vaguely smug smirk on his face.

 

Duo very carefully did not take note of how hot that was.

 

Quatre led him over to the two unfamiliar men, introducing them as Zechs and Heero, Duo shaking their hands easily, smiling guilelessly.  He watched Zechs look him over and immediately dismiss him, though Heero seemed to be taking more of a wait and see approach.

 

Duo felt anticipation burbling up in his gut, and his grin took on a bit of a bloodthirsty edge.

 

Quatre graciously allowed the newcomers to go first, since they were his guests, and that gave Duo an opportunity to observe their skills.

 

They were good.  Not as good as him, but better than most.

 

Which meant this would be a real competition because Quatre was absolute shit.

 

Duo revised his opinion when the blonde took his first turn though, scoring 92 points out of the gate.  “Quatre,” he crowed, “you’ve been _practicing_!”  The blonde beamed at him, delighted with the praise.  

 

“A fair bit,” he admitted, grinning.

 

The two of them absolutely _creamed_ Quatre’s schoolmates, and the indisputable win did more to cure Duo of the weird mood he’d been in than anything else could have done.  Zechs looked like he’d eaten something sour, but Heero had been amicable enough, chatting with Duo about his technique for a while afterwards before Wufei turned up at his elbow, drink in hand, Duo introducing the two men.

 

Afterwards, the party was easier to bear, even fun, drinks flowing freely, and Duo was even able to smile at Trowa the couple of times their eyes met across the room.

 

When the festivities wound down, hours later, and he and Wufei were making their way upstairs, pleasantly tipsy, Duo felt as relaxed as he could remember being in a long time.  Stumbling through the bedroom door, Duo glanced at Wufei, who was all smiles and relaxed posture, and the reaction was instantaneous, like a punch to the gut, and so intense Duo wondered how he’d not noticed it before.

 

Lust.  Arousal.  Affection.

 

It was a heady combination.  

 

He whirled for his duffle bag, pulling out pajama pants and a shirt, blithely calling out ‘bathroom’ as he turned for said room and shut himself in to brush his teeth and take care of business, and just generally get himself under control.  Wufei took his turn after he came out and by the time he bustled under the covers and turned out the lamp, he was feeling relatively himself again, if somewhat embarrassed.  Wufei strolled out sedately a few minutes later, climbing into his own bed and clicking the second lamp off, leaving them in quiet darkness.

 

After a few minutes, he spoke.  “Duo?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What happened with Trowa?”

 

The soft darkness of the room, the alcohol, and his own comfort with Wufei combined to make him feel languid and relaxed, willing to share.

 

“Nothing, really.  I dunno if he was looking for me or if it was coincidence, but he wanted to _apologize_ for what happened with us.”  Duo snorted in amusement.  “Jesus, it was so awkward, thank god you showed up when you did.”

 

Wufei made a noise of amusement.  There was silence again for a moment, and then.  “Well I’m glad he had the sense to realize he owed you an apology, but I meant before.  When he left for college.”

 

“Ah.”  Duo stopped, sorting through memories. “I dunno, honestly.  That’s probably part of the problem.”

 

“You just seemed so… torn up by what happened.  And then you haven’t really dated since…”

 

Duo rolled over to look in Wufei’s direction in the dark.  “Oh my god you don’t think I’ve been _pining_ over him all this time do you?”

 

This time the silence was uncomfortable, Wufei clearly unwilling to admit that’s exactly what he’d thought.  Duo laughed.

 

“Jesus, no.  It wasn’t even about him really.”  He paused, choosing his words.  “I’ve always, you know, objectively looked at people and appreciated their attractiveness.  Man or woman, it didn’t matter.  And not in that, oh that’s a nice shirt the color looks good on you kind of way, but in the he’s hot, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed sort of way.”  He took a deep breath.  “It wasn’t until like, I dunno, maybe 7th or 8th grade when I realized that other people didn’t see it like that?  That dudes didn’t go around appraising other dudes’ level of hotness, even on a purely academic level.”

 

He glanced over at Wufei again, who had shifted to turn towards him in the dark.  “Like, I bet you’ve never really looked at a woman and pictured her naked because you like naked women, right?”

 

“Not really, no,”  came the dry response, and Duo chuckled.

 

“Yeah, well, I look at all kinds of people and wonder what they look like naked, because I think all kinds of people are hot.”  It was a very simplistic explanation, but Duo figured it got the point across.

 

“So when Trowa started showing an interest in me, I figured, why the hell not.  Half the student body thought I was gay anyway because I wear my hair long and I’m not - wasn’t - particularly buff or intimidating.  And Trowa was… he’s very intense?  When he looks at you and pays attention to you, it’s clear you’re his focus.  It’s a very attractive trait.  So when he asked me out, I said yes.  It was either really brave or really stupid, considering I’d only dated girls up to that point.  I still haven’t decided which.”

 

When he didn’t say anything else for a bit, Wufei made an inquisitive noise.

 

“Anyway, it was fine.  I enjoyed the time I spent with him and our relationship and all that was all fine.  The problem was, I learned all this _stuff_ about myself and I was enjoying the… the education, I guess?  And then when he up and left, I wasn’t sure… where I stood?  Or who I was?  Or something.  Am I gay?  Am I straight?  Who the hell knows? And I haven’t figured it out yet.”  He paused again.  “I slept with Hilde, once, just to see if I still wanted to.”

 

“And did you?”  Wufei’s tone was impressively neutral.

 

“Yeah, sure.  It was good, just as good as it was before.”

 

“Do you still want to sleep with Trowa?”  Neutral was strained to the max, Duo thought, amused.  

 

“No.  But it’s because I’m pissed at him, not because he’s not still hot.”

 

Wufei barked a laugh, obviously caught off guard.  Duo laughed too, and within a few minutes they were both snorting with unrestrained laughter, the whole thing made more amusing by their inebriation.

 

“So yeah, this whole off the market marriage thing works out for me.  Gives me time to sort myself out.”

 

Wufei snorted in disbelief.  “What are you trying to sort out, Duo?  It sounds like you’re well sorted.”

 

Duo blinked at him in the dark.  “No?  Because I don’t know what I want?”

 

The silence from Wufei’s side of the room was contemplative, and when he spoke it was with a hesitation that Duo wasn’t used to hearing from him.  “You don’t…” he sighed, deeply, “you don’t have to _pick,_ Duo.”

 

“Well, I do eventually,” Duo argued.

 

Another sigh.  Duo could just barely make out Wufei’s hand, near his face, and he imagined that he was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, and it made him smile.

 

“Well, presumably you have to pick a _partner_ , Duo, but you don’t have to pick an orientation.  Being married to me doesn’t automatically make you gay, any more than sleeping with Hilde made you straight.  Your partner doesn’t determine your orientation, your preferences do.”

 

It was like a lightbulb went off in his brain.  “Holy shit,” Duo breathed.  “That seems absurdly obvious when you explain it.  Tell me again in the morning, when I’m sober.”

 

Wufei groaned.  “You’re an idiot sometimes, you know that?”

 

Duo grinned, feeling lighter than he had in years.  “Maybe, but you married me.”

 

“Go to sleep Duo.”

 

“Yes, Husband.” He snickered.

 

Wufei didn’t dignify that with an answer.

 

*

 

Duo woke up the next morning in an obscenely cheerful mood, which was only improved when, on his way to the bathroom, he discovered Heero creeping out of Quatre's room in the infamous Walk of Shame. The brunette man smirked at him as they passed each other in the hallway and Duo was still chortling to himself with a toothbrush in his mouth when he realized what the other man had assumed.

 

Ah, well. The direction they'd been heading in, it would probably be true soon enough.

 

By the time Quatre stumbled down to the kitchen, Duo and Wufei were halfway through coffee and toast, Duo getting up to fix Quatre a cup, humming to himself.

 

The blonde looked between Duo's cheerful persona and Wufei's vague amusement and blurted “Did you two sleep together last night?”

 

Duo looked startled. “What? No! Why?”

 

“Because you're so disgustingly cheerful and Wufei looks so well pleased with himself, it seemed a logical conclusion!”

 

“No.” Duo sat the steaming cup of coffee in front of the confused blonde. “Wufei’s just smug he solved almost all my life problems in one go.”

 

“I thought you said you _didn't_ have sex last night.”

 

Duo smirked. “That's why I said almost. The only person here who got any last night is you, judging by the smirk on Heero’s face as he crept out this morning.”

 

Quatre flushed all the way to his hairline. “He didn't creep, he has to work today,” he muttered into his coffee mug.

 

He decided it might be the best day of his life, between the drunken epiphany and being able to lord something over Quatre.

 

Duo and Wufei danced lightly around each other for the rest of the day, their usual casual touches and communicative looks taking on new meaning and depth, until finally even Quatre had admonished them to stop eye fucking each other across the room before he vomited.  

 

The drive back to NYC was comfortably quiet, Duo sliding his ring back on halfway through the trip, winking at Wufei, who simply switched his back to his left hand in response.

 

Back in the apartment, however, some of the easy camaraderie they'd been enjoying evaporated, though Duo was hard pressed to say why that was.  They’d gotten back late in the evening, ordered Thai from their favorite place, unpacked, and gone to bed.  Well, Wufei had unpacked and gone to bed, whereas Duo had sort of kicked his duffle towards the dirty laundry basket and curled up with a completely frivolous novel that he’d finally put it down sometime in the early morning hours, eyes scratchy and brain frazzled, and gone to sleep.

 

The dancing after that was less light and more awkward, now that they were alone without Quatre as a buffer and Heero to tease him about, Duo thinking back on his drunken confessions with a cringey sort of nauseated feeling.

 

He was making a lot of assumptions, he couldn’t help but feel.  

 

Now that he’d ‘outed’ himself to Wufei, so to speak, he felt better about his own growing feelings, yes, but it had occurred to him that Wufei, maybe, didn’t share them.  Despite the instances he could point to in the past that yes, Wufei was attracted to him (the hallway at Quatre’s house being a clear indicator), Duo was on edge, convinced it was all in his head, jumpy and irritable as a result.  He couldn't seem to help being short with Wufei, was avoiding him while being drawn to him at the same time.  As a result, he’d go and hide in his room, then drift out later to sit in the living room with the other man, but on the armchair rather than sprawled on the end of the couch like he’d have done previously. Rinse and repeat, ad infinitum.

 

In response, Wufei had been at first baffled and then surly, irritated by Duo’s unpredictable mood, and now they were like unfamiliar cats, circling each other warily.

 

Finally, it was Wufei who broke with the tension.

 

“We don’t have to do this, you know.”

 

Duo started, looking up guiltily, though he wasn’t sure why, from the book he was staring at. He’d managed to convince himself to sit at the end of the couch this time, but he was so tucked up in on himself that his feet didn’t even reach the edge of the first cushion.  “Huh?”

 

Wufei sighed. “Whatever it is that’s got you staring at the same page of that book for the last half hour with that look on your face.  You’ve been walking around like a kicked puppy for days.  I thought we were friends.”

 

“We are friends!”  Duo’s immediate defense was emphatic, but he winced as soon as he’d said it.  He had been acting as though Wufei were going to… well, he wasn’t sure what, but something drastic and painful.  Which wasn’t fair to him.  “I’m sorry.  I had this all figured out in my head at Quatre’s and now it’s just… muddy and confusing.”  He folded his book up and sat it aside, turning to face Wufei.  

 

Who was watching him with a tenderly concerned expression, which hit Duo like a punch to the solar plexus.  “So tell me what’s on your mind.”

 

Sighing, Duo spread his hands in confusion.  “I dunno.  Me.  You.  Us?  Everything?  What’s the answer here?”

 

“Forty-two.”  Wufei replied promptly, and Duo laughed.

 

“Obviously.  That’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything.”  He sobered quickly, looking into Wufei’s dark eyes.  “Honestly, I don’t know what the question is.”

 

Wufei reached out, his fingers barely brushing Duo’s where they rested on the couch.  “I think the question you’re looking for is ‘now what?’.  But Duo,” and here Wufei stretched a bit more to thread their fingers together, “there doesn’t have to be a ‘now’ anything.  Nothing has to change, or be different.  We can continue on as we have always been.  And when I graduate we can get divorced, like we planned, and that will be that.”

 

Duo stared down at where their hands were joined, a dull ache in his chest.  “Just two dudes being dudes, getting divorced, huh?”  His voice sounded like it had been dragged over a field of ground glass.

 

Wufei hummed an affirmative.

 

“What if…”. Duo cleared his throat, feeling like something was up there, choking him.  His heart, maybe.  “What if I want things to change?”

 

Fingers nudged at the underside of his chin, forcing him to meet Wufei’s eyes.  The other man looked… nervous, and shy, and heart-crushingly hopeful, and what Duo was supposed to say in the face of that, he didn’t know.  His own heart was now permanently in residence in his throat, and it gave a painful thump.  “I’d… like that,” Wufei admitted, hesitantly, “but it’s not… I don’t _expect_ that, Duo.”

 

Duo gave him a crooked grin, used their linked fingers to tug Wufei closer.  “I know.”  He leaned forward, tentatively, until his mouth was just shy of Wufei’s.  “Don’t panic,” he breathed, and he felt Wufei’s lips curl into a smile underneath his own as he closed the miniscule distance between them.

 

It was just a press of lips, puff of breath against his cheek, the warmth of Wufei’s hand curling along his jaw.  It was, by far, probably the tamest kiss he’d ever had, just the gentle motion of Wufei’s lips sliding against his, but it generated a deep warmth, originating where their mouths met and spreading all the way to his toes.  

 

Then Wufei’s mouth parted, his tongue flickered out, and Duo made a sound low in his throat as what had been comforting and tender morphed to hot and lustful.  He opened his mouth, tongue tangling with Wufei’s as the other man groaned against him.  The hand that had been on his jaw drifted to his neck, fingers tangling in his hair as Wufei tilted his head for a better angle.  Releasing his fingers, Wufei’s other hand came around to his back, tugging Duo closer to him.  He went willingly, practically crawling into Wufei’s lap, wrapping his arms around Wufei’s shoulders as they kissed.

 

They took their time, exploring one another’s mouths with slow, leisurely strokes, hands roaming across shoulders and down spines, the heat between them unfurling slowly until finally Duo had to pull back, panting for air.  “Maybe we should… slow our roll a little here, yeah?”  He rubbed a thumb across Wufei’s swollen bottom lip.  “I mean, we have time.”

 

Wufei opened his mouth, nipping at the inquisitive digit, smiling at Duo’s sharp inhalation.  “Yes.  Plenty of time.  At least a year and a half, at any rate.”

 

Duo laughed.  “Well we don’t have to slow down _that_ much.” He rocked forward, just a little, to prove his point, Wufei thrusting up involuntarily.  “But I like this a lot better than avoiding you.  It’s more fun.”

 

Chuckling Wufei drew him back down for another kiss, teeth scraping his lower lip, tongue soothing the sting.  “Much more fun,” he murmured.

 

*

 

Their next visit to Rome at the end of the spring semester was much less fraught with tension, though Quatre went out of his way to needle them for his own amusement.

 

“Nice rings,” he greeted them, opening the front door.  “Are they new?”

 

Duo rolled his eyes, shouldering his way past the grinning blonde.

 

“I wore mine last time,”  Wufei commented calmly, waiting for Quatre to move aside before he crossed the threshold.  Quatre looked thoughtful at his response.

 

Grinning, Duo shot a meaningful look over his shoulder at Wufei, and said “I had mine on too.  You just didn’t notice it.”  Quatre looked more confused than thoughtful, now.  Just to keep him off balance, he asked, “How’s Heero doin’ these days?  Seen much of him lately?”

 

As expected, Quatre’s fair skin flushed, but he managed to hold his own.  “A fair bit.  Have you _seen much_ of Wufei lately?”

 

Duo felt his own face heating in response.  “A fair bit,” he choked out.

 

Wufei rolled his eyes at both of them.

 

Trudging up the stairs, Duo opened the door to the guest room and barked a laugh.  “Cute, Quatre, real cute.”  Wufei came up behind him and paused, taking in the changes, a noise of amusement escaping him.

 

Quatre looked perfectly innocent, a sure sign that he’d planned the entire thing.  “Iria needed the daybeds for the twins, now they’ve outgrown their cribs, so Father replaced them with a single, for when she and John come to visit.”

 

Calling it a single was… a bit of a stretch.  It was at least a king sized bed, possibly a California king, and Duo wasn’t entirely sure how they’d gotten it through the door, though some miracle of interior decorating had made it fit the room without overpowering it.  He shot Wufei a sidelong look, the other man giving a slight shrug.  

 

It was certainly bigger than their beds back in NYC.

 

Already Duo’s mind was taking a turn towards all the ways that could be taken advantage of.  Quatre gave him a knowing look.

 

The jerk.

 

“I’ll just leave you two to get settled in,” he said, breezily, turning for the stairs.  “You’re here earlier than I expected, so dinner won’t be ready for a couple of hours and everything for the party is all set up already.”

 

There was a pause and then-

 

“Well that’s… suspiciously convenient,” Wufei murmured, staring after the blonde man.

 

Duo snorted, pulling Wufei into the room and shutting the door behind him.  He tugged the duffle out of Wufei’s loose grip, tossing it into the corner with his own before backing the slightly shorter man against the smooth wood.  He leaned in, nibbling his way along Wufei's jaw to his ear.  “Well, we shouldn’t waste such a thoughtfully provided opportunity.”

 

Wufei hummed in response, hands sliding underneath the hem of Duo’s tank top to his back, exploring the warm skin there.  “Definitely not.”  He gasped as Duo applied teeth to the sensitive place where neck and shoulder met.  “I don’t think the door is what he had in mind though.”

 

Duo chuckled in response, his own hands delving under Wufei’s shirt to explore.  His thumb grazed over Wufei’s nipple and it pebbled up under his attention, while the other hand wound around his waist and he tucked his fingers into the band of Wufei’s jeans, tugging his hips forward to meet Duo’s rolling thrust.  

 

Groaning, Wufei levered himself off of the door, backing Duo towards the bed.  His knees hit the edge and he fell back onto his elbows, smirking up at his partner.  Wufei quirked a grin in return, heated challenge in his eyes, and reached back to drag his shirt over his head, exposing smooth, rippling muscle.  Duo swallowed dryly, no longer feeling smug, just hot arousal curling in his belly.  His eyes trailed down broad shoulders, firm abs, to the sharp v leading into the waist of the well fitted jeans, where a sizable bulge was becoming prominent.  

 

“That looks uncomfortable,” Duo said, voice throaty with lust, “you should probably lose the jeans.”

 

Wufei unsnapped the top button, looking Duo over critically.  “I think you’re a little overdressed for the party yourself.”

 

Sitting up, Duo stripped the shirt over his head, tossing it to the side, and toed his boat shoes off, letting them fall where they landed.  Reaching for the snap on his shorts, he undid the button and zipper, slipping his hand in to palm himself through his underwear, eyes never leaving Wufei’s, almost daring him.

 

The other man didn’t hesitate, rising to the challenge - pun intended - as he shucked his jeans and underwear, and stood naked, cock jutting up proudly, already damp at the tip.  Duo’s mouth watered, and he had a moment to marvel that he could indulge himself at will, before he lifted his hips to kick his own clothes off, leaning back on his elbows again to let Wufei look his fill.  He wasn’t as muscular as the other man - he didn’t practice an intense martial art, for one - but he kept in shape running, and he knew how he looked.  Wufei seemed to appreciate it anyway, his eyes dragging like a physical caress over his body. Duo shivered.  

 

He sat up again reaching for Wufei, tugging him close, palms on his ass, squeezing, and leaned in, running his cheek over Wufei’s engorged member, taking in the musky smell of the man.  He turned his head to lick a hot, wet stripe from base to tip.  Wufei’s hands came to rest on his shoulders, spasming briefly, and he held his breath in anticipation.  Duo gripped his hips firmly, and looked up, making sure Wufei was watching, as he lowered his mouth over the flared head, tongue swirling around the crown, before sucking his way down nearly to the base.  

 

Expelling his breath in a rush, Wufei gave an aborted thrust forward, Duo moving with him to stop from choking before he lifted back up, cheeks hollowed, intently focused on pleasuring Wufei.  He could feel strong thighs trembling, and the hands on his shoulders gripped him tightly.  Glancing up through his lashes he could see Wufei’s head tilted forward, eyes glittering darkly, entranced, as Duo continued to work his mouth up and down, tongue flickering along the underside each time he retreated up, paying special attention to the slit at the top.  Wufei moaned, long and low, and Duo could feel him swell more in his mouth, precum leaking steadily, the salty tang turning him on even more.

 

Wufei let him dip down and suck him hard one, two, three more times before he pulled away, Duo releasing him with a pop, both of them flushed with arousal and breathing heavily.  He nudged Duo, propping one knee on the bed, and Duo complied, scooting back to lie across the bed horizontally, Wufei crawling over him in an impressive display of tightly controlled muscles, a predatory look on his face.  He leaned down, brushing his lips across Duo’s, before diving in, his tongue sweeping across his palette, searching out the taste of himself in Duo’s mouth.  Both of them moaned.

 

A hand wrapped around his arousal and Duo arched up into it, Wufei pulling back to look into his face, his eyes heavy lidded and pupils wide and dark.  He squeezed, thumb rubbing across the sensitive underside of the head, Duo bucking in response.

 

It hadn’t taken long at all for Wufei to figure out all of Duo’s sensitive points, and he was unrepentant about taking full advantage.

 

He leaned down, trailing his mouth across Duo’s collarbone and throat as he continued working his hand up and down Duo’s cock, spreading the moisture now leaking from the tip, his own erection brushing against Duo’s hip.  He bit down on Duo’s earlobe, startling a moan-

 

“Fuck!”

 

His voice was low and gravelly in Duo’s ear.  “You like sucking my cock, don’t you?”

 

Duo nodded frantically, eyes squeezed shut, pressing up into Wufei’s grip.  It had come as a complete surprise to him, the first time Wufei had muttered something filthy in his ear, how hot it had made him.  

 

“Yes!” He gasped out, as Wufei twisted his wrist.

 

More sucking kisses across his throat, and then-

 

“I like to watch you sucking my dick, you look so good with your mouth stretched around it, eyes closed because you’re enjoying it so much.”

 

Duo groaned loudly, literally felt himself swelling in Wufei’s hand, orgasm creeping up on him.  Wufei slowed his pace, grip firm and tortuous, Duo clawing at the blankets underneath.  He let go with a final squeeze, Duo letting out a garbled noise of protest.  Wufei slid down in the bed, lowered his head and ran his tongue along Duo’s cock, Duo bucking and crying out in response.

 

“Hold that thought.”

 

Lifting up on his elbows, Duo watched impatiently, panting, as Wufei padded over to his duffle and leaned down.  Admired the view as Wufei unzipped the side pocket to pull out a small bottle and a couple of foil wrapped condoms.  

 

Climbing back up onto the bed, he sat them aside and leaned over Duo, resuming the heavy, hot kisses from before.  When Duo was thrusting against him, making needy noises in his throat, Wufei rolled both of them so that Duo was straddling him, their cocks brushing together on Wufei’s stomach.  He reached for the lube, squeezing some out on his fingers, and reached around to brush them against Duo’s entrance.  His eyelids fluttering, Duo leaned forward to brace himself on the mattress above Wufei’s shoulders, pressing back into the touch.

 

“Ok?” Wufei asked, circling the tight ring of muscles.

 

“Yes,” Duo moaned, rocking against his hand.  It was a position he hadn’t tried before, but he was extremely interested in trying it _right now_ , thank you very much.  The first finger slid in smoothly, oh so smoothly, and Duo arched as Wufei fucked him with it, his body relaxing into the touch readily as he got impossibly harder, his cock rubbing against Wufei’s, dripping onto his stomach.

 

He opened his eyes in a haze to find Wufei watching him avidly, cheeks flushed with arousal, biting his lower lip. A second finger slid in beside the first and the stretch was perfect as he pushed back to meet it, panting, open-mouthed. Wufei brushed that place inside him, the one that he had barely known existed before and-

 

“Fei,” he moaned, low, throaty, guttural, as his cock twitched and Wufei moaned in response.

 

“You look so good riding my hand,” Wufei panted, face suffused with lust.  “You’re going to look even better riding my cock.”

 

“Fuck!”  

 

Wufei's words coincided with the addition of a third finger, the burn of the stretch adding a sharp depth to the pleasure saturating his system.  When Duo was pushing back forcefully, moaning, begging for more, Wufei pulled his fingers out, quickly rolling one of the condoms over himself.  He guided Duo into position, latex covered erection positioned at his entrance.

 

“Whenever you’re ready,” Wufei murmured, hands on Duo’s hips to help steady him.

 

Duo leaned back, gravity helping him, and sank down onto Wufei’s erection, inch by delicious inch, until he was pressed flush against Wufei’s thighs, his cock so deep he could barely breathe, feeling his inner muscles spasming as the erection inside him twitched.

 

Wufei stroked his hips, gently, almost comforting as he waited for Duo to adjust.  Swallowing, Duo lifted, tentatively, and dropped back down.

 

“Oh my fucking **god**!” Sparks danced behind his eyelids, the position causing every thrust to brush up against that bundle of nerves that destroyed his thought processes.  He thought he felt Wufei chuckle in response, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, lifting up again, searching for a repeat of that sensation, and wasn’t disappointed.

 

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck-”

 

Within moments he was riding Wufei with abandon, his head dropped back on his shoulders, Wufei’s hips snapping up to meet his downward strokes, the extra force searing across his nerves.

 

A hot, strong grip surrounded his leaking cock and he lost the ability to think or maintain a rhythm or do anything except be fucked, Wufei tugging him forward to brace himself on his arms as his hips pistoned up into Duo's, his hand forming a tight, slick tunnel that his dick was sliding through.

 

Wufei lunged up, his mouth slanting over Duo’s as he came, a hot rush of pleasure burning through his senses as he bucked in Wufei’s hands, cum spilling all over both of them, his cry swallowed by the other man.

 

He collapsed onto Wufei’s chest, pleasure still spiking through him irregularly as the other man thrust erratically, seeking his own orgasm, cock dragging over sensitized nerves.

 

With a strangled moan, Wufei's hips snapped forward one last time, burying himself deep, and Duo felt him swell and jerk as he came.

 

They lay there, breathing heavily, Duo’s head tucked up under Wufei's chin for long minutes, as sweat cooled on their bodies and their heart rates slowed. Finally, Duo rolled off of Wufei, wincing a little as he stretched his hips from their bent position, before turning to grin at his husband.

 

He froze, his brain momentarily stuck on it, the first time he'd ever had the thought in bed, ever thought it casually with the warm affection he was feeling now. The first time he'd _meant_ it.

 

Wufei was watching him, reaching out to touch his face, and looking at him questioningly. “What is it?”

 

Smiling tenderly, Duo shook his head. “It's nothing. Just a silly thought.”  He scooted in a little, kissing Wufei long and slow, all tenderness and care. “Do you think we have time for a nap?” he asked, eyelids drooping.

 

Snagging Duo’s shirt to give them a quick clean up, Wufei tied off the condom, dropping it along with the shirt off the edge of the bed, and rolled to pull Duo in close to him. “We have time for anything you want,” he murmured, his face tucked up against Duo's shoulder.

 

And Duo smiled as he drifted off, because they really did.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The stuff regarding FAFSA information is all true and accurate.
> 
> As are the details for getting married in New York. Now you can elope!


End file.
